Do you have to give baby vegetables before fruits when introducing solid foods?

Despite all of the research and studies that have been done about the order of introducing solid foods to babies, this is the one myth that continues to hang on the strongest.

Some pediatricians say to introduce the vegetables first so that your baby does not develop a “sweet tooth” for fruits. There is no research or evidence to show that babies will develop a dislike for vegetables if they are given fruits first. Babies are born with a natural preference for sweet tastes. The order of introducing foods does not change this natural instinct.

You will find some pediatricians that say to definitely introduce fruits first as this approach will help baby enjoy her first foods and she will be less likely to reject the foods.   For the breast fed baby, breast milk is a sweet food and therefore breastfed babies get to eat the sweetest food there is, straight from the beginning of life!

Introduce green veggies before yellow veggies?

One of the strangest myths of food order is that the color of vegetable is important when you start to feed babies veggies. “Green before orange or yellow” you may have heard is recommendation. Here’s the good news, there is no research to show that this is true.  Many babies love their green veggies and totally dislike their fruits. Many babies simply prefer the yellow/orange vegetables. It is quite possible that the old advice of introducing green before yellow/orange came about due to a texture issue rather than a taste issue; green vegetables (peas for example) tend to be tougher and not as smooth as the yellow/orange (sweet potato) so babies may not enjoy the texture at first.

Introduce foods to baby in an alternating order.

If you are unsure about all of this, then why not try to introduce foods in an alternating order?  Try sweet potatoes then bananas – then avocados and then peaches. Alternating between a fruit and a vegetable, and maybe some homemade cereal along the way, is a great way to get the best of both worlds!